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Shadow of Udrentide

I got this for Xmas in 2006. The last comments made prior to copying from the orginal bliki was in July 2009. It makes reference to Bioware community resources, which have since gone away. This is the second add-on to the Official Campaign; it is followed by a game called Hordes of the Underdark. See NWN – Some Modules, and look for HoU Crossover. This is the start of a three part story which ends at Hordes of the Underdark, so start a new character to see what happens in the 17+ levels. This thread at Bioware recommends some additional modules, to continue the story of the Hero of the Shadows of Unrentide.

The Game Banshee SoU Walkthrough is a necessity. So is Planet Neverwinternights SoU Walkthrough, particularly its Starting section, which highlights the gentler and in many ways more difficult parts of the game. By this I mean, a number of encounters have several outcomes and the chosen outcome impacts your alignment, you need to be a bit more careful than when playing NWN. Allegedelly, your chosen henchman also has alignment sensitivity, and in a number of cases, looting is not approved either by the DM, or maybe NPCs.

Again, I have installed Henchman Inventory & Battle AI mod v1.07. The inventory control doesn’t seem to be working. I wonder if I’ve installed it properly? (I could check it using NWN, to see if it’s an SoU issue). For some reason, the interfaces are different between NWN and SoU for the inventory control.

Installation

This was a bit poor, I need to document this another time, but I used the Bioware thread and edited a key change, install SoU, upgrade failed, used the critical upgrade patch, installed HoU, upgraded using the package manager, then installed the Henchman AI hak. I also downloaded Leto. This is hosted at NWN Vault. The link to the hosting page is Leto, v3 (SoU / HotU). However, installing on my laptop worked fine from the five disks I have.

Hints from the beginning

Some of the quests are alignment and class sensitive, they have some animal empathy and friendship tests, so you might like to build this if a Ranger or Druid. Keep any meat you find, its useful for Prayer Bag and the monster on the penultimate layer.

Early thoughts

I imported my Paladin (see also NWN Playing a Paladin), I think it down leveled the character to 15, i.e. P(11)/F(4). I used Leto to readjust the attributes to get a 14 WIS and gave myself another point in the process. (Oops!)

Do not import characters! It spoils the game; build them from first level.

In Drogan’s House, remember to talk to the mysterious healer, Alaya, enough to get the “Find the Cure” quest, there are a bunch of riddles in the Laboratory, and it probably helps to buff up on Charisma and persausion skills. I found a magic item, a magic sickle, in my room which enhances my Persaude score. This might be class specific though. (It seems the item is class specific, I was mucking around with a Bard and got a magic lute.

When rescuing Mara the Cook, there is a risk of loosing goodness. High CHA helps find the best way through this.

Dealing with Piper takes care, buff up on CHA & persausion, use the magic item.

I couldn’t find the Shadow Hart, with my Paladin. There is a good way though that quest. I did find it with my druid, and am having difficulty with my Fighter/Thief. (This quest might require a high animal empathy, or be class specific). There is a UHS web page for the Shadow Hart Quest which states that it is not class dependent, merely easier if one is a Ranger, Barbarian or Druid.

In the ruins, under the Nether mountains, there is a maze, which is elementally themed. See also the gamebanshee walkthrough for this level. At then end you can get an element summoning item, or a robe of elemental resistance, for which you need a second token. To get a second token, you need to cast a cantrip on one of the elemental alcoves. The appropriate cantrip is documented at bioware forums by pantherus_nz. I shall repeat the key here; my server is quicker. pantherus_nz says,

“You have to use the opposing element’s cantrip on them:

Water shrine – flare

Fire shrine – ray of frost

Earth Shrine – electric jolt

Air Shrine – Acid splash”

Not so sure about opposite for earth and air, but hey! My Druid only had access to flare and that worked with the water shrine.

I should say something about the level boss. I found it hard with a Druid & Dorna.

The Interlude

I had problems finding the secret door in the Tomb of Kal Geras with my Druid. The UHS system was jolly useful, explain both the Spot skill and the purpose of the levers.

The Ruins in the Interlude

I had some problems with the Netherese Orb, and asked for help at bioware forums.

There’s also a trick to playing the NW room’s riddles, which I have temporarily forgotten.

A Basilisk’s Gaze is saved using fortitude.

See the comments on Druids & Rangers, Druids can charm the Sphinx.

Nearing the End

The Prayer Bag & Wand

The UHS Hint site talks about this, didn’t see it the first time through when i had a Paladin, but these items are class dependent and restricted to Paladin & Cleric. Bother! I doubt I’ll be taking this through again. The bag is sold by Ashtara. It needs meat so keep it when you find it.

The penultimate level of the Temple of the Winds is a complete bitch.

There is some debate about whether the monsters spawn based on the level of the protaganist. This means those us us (i.e. me) who imported their characters from NWN get a ferocious quantity of Skeletal Devourers. They are very difficult.

Too Many Devourers…, a previous thread started by Andarthiel_Demigod. It seems that the number of devourers is level dependant!..

I have now beaten them with my Paladin/Fighter 14/4. Two floors below, in Unrentide, there is a “Gem of Seeing”, this helps see in the dark and the spells Bless and Divine Weapon both enhance “Desert Fury” which should be kept and used; they don’t like fire. Divine damage also hurts them, so I several spells that enhanced “Desert Fury” to do divine damage as well. N.B.”Desert Fury” is not a sword thus does not suffer a 50% damage reduction that skeletal monsters receive from slashing and piercing attacks. The weakness to fire means that Flamestrike using the Wand of the Heavens is useful. Have lots of potions of cure critical and heal. Boost your saving throw as high as you can, and be aware that they can negate spell protections. The staff from the desert temple is also useful, as it cures you and hurts them.

My fighter/thief has completed this level, it seems the number of Skeletal Devourers are level dependent, my FT(6/7) with Mischa had little problem as there were only two per encounter. (I didn’t seem to have a Wand of the Heavens this time, but obviously had “Desert Fury”. I was able to open all the caskets on the first floor & so got all the Armour.

My Druid has taken Blind Fighting as a feat. Let’s see if this helps.

On the first floor of the temple, there is some useful armour and weapons for Dorna Trapspringer, but you may need to take some potions of Lore to identify them. I also used the advanced AI module and may have set her to cast spells before combat and I asked her to buff and heal the party frequently. Anyway, she died a lot less frequently. (6 May 2007)

Some Comments

Probably best not to import your character from Neverwinternights, with such an overly powerful character, the game becomes much more subtle and fortunately the game authors wrote some more complex less combat orientated options.

I am now running a few more level 1 starts through the game. A druid, to which I might add some Barbarian levels, a Bard and a Fighter/Thief (equal at the moment) traveling with Mischa the Paladin using another add-on.

Collect Meat.

Mischa Waymeet, the 4th henchman

This is a user written download, available at the Mischa Waymeet page. As noted in Some Comments above, I am playing this module. After the Elven Crypt, I returned to her room after obtaining some brand new Paladin equipment to put her original gear back into her chest, she assumed I was stealing from it and left me. I had to dump the gear elsewhere in the room. Mind you, I am a Fighter/Thief.

It seems that Mischa’s practivesword can be upgraded to the Tinoman. Place a piece of Quartz and Mischa’s practice sword in Drogan’s Grinder. This does not need the add-on.

Druids and Rangers

It seems that the Shadow Hart quest is easier if you are Druid or Ranger. (Also a barbarian and if your INT > 12, wonder if potions help.) See the UHS page

The Sphinx in the Netherese ruins can be dominated according to the UHS Walkthorough, you need the Greater Gloves of Animal Handling (sold by Farghan in Chapter 1) and the Ring of Animal Friendship, and presumably to have been investing in it as a skill. I have now done this with my Druid

In Udrentide, there is a plant item that’ll enhance any animal companions.

Some Items I’ve not found yet

Over on gamefaqs, there is an SOU Walkthrough that lists a couple of items I want to examine next time through.

Magic Electrifier

Chalice of Lathander

Chime of Opening

Lens of Detection

I have found the Lens of Detection.

There are some other items, particularly in the red Wizard’s store.

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